Thursday, June 30, 2011

‘The Eucharist is the ordinary means of salvation’, said Fr. Marcos Renacia, an Augustinian-Recollect priest. ‘Everyone on earth de facto needs the Eucharist to go to Heaven’.

Hypothetically, in a way known only to God, through the extraordinary means God can save a non Catholic who is not a member of the Church who has not received the Sacrament of the Eucharist, he agrees, de facto we do not know a single case such case.

De facto everyone on earth needs the Eucharist to avoid Hell. De jure, in principle, there could be the possibility of someone saved who has not received this Sacrament.

The Church is the ordinary means of salvation states Pope John Paul II in Redemptoris Missio 55. The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ (Ad Gentes 7).Jesus saves through the Sacraments, those who respond (Dominus Iesus 20) by entering the Church.

Fr. Marcos was commenting on the Gospel Reading last Sunday (Corpus Domini) in which Jesus says the Eucharist was needed for salvation (John 6). he was speaking with me at the Augustinian– Recollect Church in Rome. We were comparing the dogmatic teaching extra ecclesiam nulla salus (outside the Church there is no salvation) with the Eucharist being needed for all.

Fr. Marcos chose to use the defacto-dejure explanation of this issue, especially, when asked if ‘all non Catholics need to explicitly receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist for salvation; to go to Heaven and avoid Hell ?’

The words de facto and de jure are used in the Introduction to Dominus Iesus.

‘De facto salvation’ used here is synonymous with explicit salvation. It refers to the baptism of water which is visible and repeatable. It refers to Catholic Faith which is taught explicitly. It is the ordinary means of salvation.

‘Dejure salvation’ is synonymous with implicit salvation. It refers to the baptism of desire, those saved in invincible ignorance, a good conscience, perfect contrition, in partial communion with the church or saved by the Word of God. It is not the ordinary means of salvation and depends on God’s grace. It’s an extra ordinary form of salvation.

When Fr.Marcos says that the Eucharist is the ordinary means of salvation he refers to de facto salvation. Since we do not personally know any case of de jure salvation, we assume everybody needs to de facto receive the Eucharist. Everyone we meet needs the Sacraments. There is no exception that we know of.

This is the official teaching of the Church through the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus.(Cantate Domino, Council of Florence 1441, Ad Gentes 7,Vatican Council II, Redemptoris Missio 55, Catechism of the Catholic Church 846, Dominus Iesus 20, Ecclesia di Eucarestia etc.)

The Church documents, Magisterial texts, indicate everyone de facto needs the Sacraments to go to Heaven.

The understanding of Church (ecclesiology) in Ecclesia di Eucarestia was based on outside the Church there is no salvation, complained Cardinal Walter Kasper. In the magazine 30 giorini he said no one today believes in outside the Church there is no salvation. He complained that Ecclesia di Eucarestia also ignored the Orthodox Christians, who have a valid Eucharist.

Orthodox Christians are ‘schismatics’ according to Cantate Domino, ex cathedra. They need to convert into the Catholic Church to avoid Hell according to the dogma. We may call them ‘true’ churches and ‘sister’ churches but the dogma says they are all oriented to Hell. We are not permitted to receive the Eucharist at their churches. Neither are they permitted to receive the Eucharist at Catholic Churches.

Ad Gentes 7, Vatican Council II has the same message. It says all need baptism for salvation. Catholics only give the baptism of water to adults with Catholic Faith. The Orthodox Christians donot have Catholic Faith.

Just as a Catholic in mortal sin is not to receive the Eucharist even though Jesus is still present in the Eucharist an Orthodox Christian is not to receive the Eucharist at a Catholic Church.it is a sin. Cantate Domino indicates Orthodox Christians are in mortal sin (‘schismatics’).De facto they are all on the way to Hell.

So when Jesus says ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life’- are there any exceptions?

De facto, none.

De jure, none. All those who are saved implicitly are saved through Jesus and the Church (CCC 846).

When the Augustinian Recollect priest says de facto everyone with no exception needs the Eucharist for salvation he is affirming the centuries old interpretation of Cantate Domino-just like St. Augustine.

If Fr. Marcos does not use the terms de facto-dejure (hypothetical) it would be confusing. It would be saying everyone needs the Eucharist except for…It would be saying yes and No. simultaneously.

There is no text in Vatican Council II which contradicts Cantate Domino or Ad Gentes 7 unless one mixes up de jure salvation for de facto salvation.

If one mistakenly says the baptism of desire refers to de facto salvation and contradicts Cantate Domino which also refers to de facto salvation, then something is wrong. It is in conflict with the Principle of Non Contradiction.

If one correctly infers that de jure baptism of desire does not contradict de facto Cantate Domino then it is rational. It also does not contradict the Principle of Non Contradiction.

So de facto everybody needs the Eucharist for salvation as Fr. Marcos Renacia says.

Outside the Church, outside the Eucharist, there is no salvation.

Photo Fr.Marcos offering Mass this week at the Augustinian Recollect church in Rome.